Gulf Dreams

by Emma Pérez

Gulf Dreams is the story of a Chicana who comes of age in a racist, rural Texas town. Through memory, the protagonist reexamines her unresolved obsessive love for a young woman, her best friend since childhood.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Latinx, Lesbian, Literary Fiction, School

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Emma Pérez, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Texas/El Paso, has written numerous essays in feminist theory and is author of the novel, Gulf Dreams.

Reviews

[Josefina Duran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Tons of details and very sensual and sexual. I think Catrina Rueda Esquibel describes it perfically "You will be pulled in by the narrator who will seduce you with words."

A story of love and obsession. Words will become your seduction. Its a story of love and pain. Made me realize why and make that connection of why we become obsessed with that other person who might not be good for us, but yet we continue there. How we fall into that love for someone and creating a world of dreams.

I liked it book. Wouldnt consider it one of my favorites, but its good.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an absolute masterpiece for the first half. It beautifully showed passionate, tentative, all-consuming, and gentle (violent and rageful at other times) love between women and told a coming of age story that was beautifully articulated, poetic, and mature. Coming of age stories, particularly for queer women are few and far between and many are aimed for YA audiences despite the all the too common experience of queer women discovering their sexuality much later in life. I loved the representation of queer fluidity, even if I hesitate to identify it as bisexuality since the characters did not themselves outright, the complexity was present.
I did find though, outside of descriptions of Ermila, that the second part of the book felt, much to my disappointment, unnecessary and repetitive. While I know that the perpetual and overconsuming desire was literally repeated to represent this lust, I got bored and began to dislike the character for her inability to think or discuss anything else. I don't want to linger on this reflection too long because the book is beautiful, I just wish it was condensed and knew when to stop.

[Phoebe Jeziel]

DNF'd at 41%.

I have been trying to venture into more queer reads, specifically Latinx queer reads, but this one was just not the kind of read I am really wanting right now. Maybe ever? Lol.

I can see why this book might be something required for a class or something in college. It is intense, poetic and very interesting. The author is taking a look at her past, her memories and romantic obsession with her childhood best friend and it's incredibly intimate and intensely sexual.

That being said, it's also full of trauma and pain. Fascinating, intriguing and also dark. I'm not sure if it has a happy ending or not (or, where the author leaves off in the end), but I have a personal boundary about reading books about trauma, especially when it comes to queer reads so I am going to DNF this one. I wasn't really enjoying the reading experience anyway and I wasn't really feeling like I was getting much out of the experience. Alas, I shall try and venture elsewhere.

Trigger Warnings: Child sexual abuse, sexual assault, racism, physical abuse and domestic violence.

[Cassy · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one was extremely difficult to get through. i'm not a fan of how my professor was assigning us texts without giving us the proper trigger warnings because a book like this one one needs to mentally prepare to read. can i say i enjoyed this read, not necessarily because a book like this one is not meant to be enjoyed but was rather designed for the audience to feel the same discomfort and pain that the characters are feeling. wildly realistic to the point where i was questioning whether i was reading a memoir. the decision to not name the narrator and her love interest was an interesting one but made it wildly difficult for me to take proper notes lol. i'm still stuck on how i should feel this book, i've just kind of left it there in the middle because i do not know how else to feel about it.

[Fal · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intense book for an intense subject. Perez sets the scene for an emotional, painful, complicated journey. It’s difficult to read, and I felt disoriented the entire first half of the novel, but I get the sense Perez was doing that on purpose. It really made me think of how hard it is to make sense of the unexplainable and what happens when the one who’s not supposed to speak is loud enough for the world to hear? I definitely recommend. TW in case you decide to pick it UP: assault, domestic abuse, rape, child molestation

[Yoselin Aguirre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably the most impactful book I’ve ever read. It tells the story of a closeted Xicana and her confusing and painful abusive relationship with another queer woman. It illustrates the way that racism, sexism, and homophobia show up on Brown bodies. Not only does it focus on the life of our protagonist, but it also depicts a gut wrenching sexual violence trial. This book is frightening but necessary. I love this book pero be careful.

TW for pretty much EVERYTHING though.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very mixed review here. I enjoyed the book, and I know that because I kept coming back to it. But in all honesty, I hated the constant change between her past, present, and future, and the different storylines. I think it could’ve been told more effectively. That’s just what I think tho. Don’t sue me

[Virgowriter (Brad Windhauser)]

At the sentence level, wonderful use of language—reads lol a narrative poem at times. Main story hard to follow and numerous rapes mentioned. Stopped read 2/3 through.

[katherine marks · Rating 2 out of 5]

in my first reading i didn’t love the book up until the last 15 pages where i was hooked. i think if i re-read it, the revised rating would be much higher

[Alyssa Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is kind of insane but I’m here for it. For a class read too…very surprised by this pick

[Fatima Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never read anything like it. Wow.

[jaz ૮ • ﻌ - ა · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: assault, domestic abuse, rape, child molestation This book is definitely written for you to feel the pain and unease of the character. The story is meant to resonate and make you feel how confusing and difficult love is. Obsessive love that may not be good for us yet we cannot seem to leave it behind. It may be full of pain, loneliness, confusion and hardships, but it is my favorite book. I absolutely love it.

[Jeanette Rupel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perez writes with a voice not often heard in literature, the coming of age story of a Hispanic lesbian in a rural Texas town. The book is beautiful and haunting. The writing is unique and interesting. The characters are complex and authentic. The book is moving.

[celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

hauntingly beautiful

[Nathália Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrativa onírica. Relação obsessiva. Há relatos de objetificação da mulher e abuso do corpo da mulher desde a infância.